Michigan

Dave Brandon offering UConn 'as much persuasion as we can' to move 2013 game

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon maintains hope he can get the Wolverines' 2013 game against UConn moved to a bigger stadium.Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Dave Brandon's pursuit of moving next season's football game at UConn to a larger stadium seemed to be essentially dead a few months ago.

But he hasn't given up yet.

The Michigan athletic director continues to discuss moving the Sept. 21 contest from the Huskies' Rentschler Field -- a 40,000-seat facility in East Hartford, Conn. -- to a larger nearby venue.

MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Jets, is believed to be his target.

"We continue to have discussions with UConn to see if there isn't a better plan," Brandon told a small group of reporters Friday shortly after speaking at the Michigan Sport Business Conference at the Ross School of Business. "Anything's possible.

"It's totally in their control. We're trying to provide them with as much persuasion as we can, in the form of financial benefits for them to move that game to a bigger stadium."

MetLife Stadium is appealing to Michigan because its 82,500-seat capacity offers a better chance for the school's New York City alumni base to secure tickets. Brandon hopes it appeals to UConn as well because it's relatively close to campus, nestled two hours away in East Rutherford, N.J.

With the game less than a year away, a deal must be struck soon if the game is to be moved.

"I'm assuming it's got to be relatively soon," Brandon said. "But my belief is there's a stadium out there ready to do the game and they're willing to put up a significant guarantee, and certainly the majority of that would go to UConn. It could be an incredibly financially attractive proposition for UConn, if they chose to take advantage of it. But that's up to them.

"That stadium ... would be a two-hour drive for the fans of UConn. So what we're talking about is not a proposition that would prevent them from selling tickets to their fans and accommodating their fans, which to me just makes it more logical.

"But sometimes logical doesn't work."

The game is the second leg of a home and home. Michigan beat UConn 30-10 at the Big House to open the 2010 season.

Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for MLive.com. He can be reached by email at kmeinke@mlive.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.